Restaurants we love: Cassie's Restaurant in Orangeburg

Jun. 27, 2013

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The Classic Pizza at Cassie's Restaurant in Orangeburg. / John Meore/The Journal News

If you go

Cassie’s, 203 Route 303, Orangeburg, 845-359-8000, www.cassiespizzeria.comHours: Open seven days. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dinner for two (excluding tax, tip, alcohol): $50 Good to know: Cassie’s is for families, so bring the kids, pull tables together and order family portions.

More photos online

See a slideshow of photos from Cassie’s at lohud.com/food.

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It’s somehow appropriate that Cassie’s Restaurant in Orangeburg is across Route 303 from the vast Lowe’s home center and next door to Beckerle Lumber.

Working on a home-improvement project could generate a hunger best handled by the generous portions and tasty Italian offerings that made Cassie’s a destination dining spot in Englewood, N.J. Owner Ed Rudzin opened the Orangeburg spot in 2005 and has been satisfying appetites with thin-crust pizzas from the coal-fired oven and fresh Italian meals ever since.

The place is full of families, drawn by the value and the fact that this is a place that doesn’t make them feel like they’re on display. Kids will be kids, you know? Rudzin’s staff is happy to pull tables together, either in the middle of the dining room or along one of the green banquettes along the perimeter of the room.

Here’s what’s great about Cassie’s: Just because they cater to a family crowd doesn’t mean they resort to a chicken-fingers-and-fries mentality.

Yes, chicken strips are on the menu, but there are plenty of other offerings.

On a recent visit, the junior member of our party tried the toasted ravioli, a breaded pocket of cheese between layers of pasta that was a nice change of pace from chicken fingers.

We went family style, starting with the family-size platter of calamari and a family platter of Caesar salad.

The salad was perfectly dressed and had generous shavings of Parmesan and crunchy croutons. The calamari was tender (not rubbery) and the coating had a nice crunch and was served with plenty of lemon and a ramekin of sauce.

We did some damage, but even though we arrived at Cassie’s famished, we couldn’t finish and had ample left over for lunch the next day.

When our Margherita pie and a family platter of meatballs and spaghetti arrived, we all let out a groan: How will we ever make a dent in all this food?

We gave it the old college try, though, and were pleased to find the sauce on the pie wasn’t too sweet and there was plenty of mozzarella and basil. And that chew was just right.

The family portion of spaghetti and meatballs was like something out of “Lady and the Tramp,” with a half-dozen tasty meatballs and al dente spaghetti. (We resisted the urge to nudge a meatball with our noses.)

In keeping with the family style, Cassie’s serves food with a value: The Caesar Salad was $19, the calamari was $23 and the spaghetti and meatballs was $32.

On our next visit, we’ll have to pace ourselves and plan accordingly for the impressive amount of food we got for our money. That’s a recipe for dining that any family can get behind.